slowlauris's review against another edition
5.0
I am here for One Thing and One Thing Only and that is the James/Simon/Lydia sexual tension
fizzy_lizard's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annasirius's review against another edition
3.0
Those who hunt the night stunned me with its subtlety, its love for detail, its language, its narration style. Travelling with the dead felt as if it had been written under more time pressure: the language was not as superb, the story telling not as subtle. It was still an enjoyable read but not quite what I'd hoped for after the first volume. Blood maidens - I agree with previous reviews - had a plotline that did not engage me and felt in parts like a repition of the previous books. I was also not really intruiged by the interpersonal moral conflicts. This probably could have been prevented if the author had changed her narration style, from a somewhat remote perspective of reporting the characters' subjective perceptions rather than allowing the reader to experience them. To adapt the narration style to the changing relationships between the three main characters would have made sense to me. As it stands, the style was perfect for book 1, but here it stood between me as the reader and a deeper connection with the story.
Another point that made it hard for me to enjoy this book was its view of Germany and its use of the German language. I understand that the characters, British and Russian people a few years before the first world war, would have their (well founded) prejudices against Germans. However, the dislike seemed to seep into every part of the book. The Dresden vampires, e.g. were described as provincial good-for-nothings that Ysidro does not even wish to interview. Dresden is a city resplendent of baroque architecture and chuck full with art collections and theatres - how it would be snubbed when Prague is glorified is beyond me. This reduction of the German Reich to mindless militarism and striving for power offended me. (Bavaria was treated somewhat better than the North, even though it was part of the Reich as well. I have to admit, at this point, that regional rivalries in Germany led to me being bothered by this even more.)
I felt that how someone would slip from English into their original language was not always well portrayed. This doesn't usually happen by slipping in a single word but by using phrases, half sentences - and these would be grammatically correct in the context of the sentence.
Another point that made it hard for me to enjoy this book was its view of Germany and its use of the German language. I understand that the characters, British and Russian people a few years before the first world war, would have their (well founded) prejudices against Germans. However, the dislike seemed to seep into every part of the book. The Dresden vampires, e.g. were described as provincial good-for-nothings that Ysidro does not even wish to interview. Dresden is a city resplendent of baroque architecture and chuck full with art collections and theatres - how it would be snubbed when Prague is glorified is beyond me. This reduction of the German Reich to mindless militarism and striving for power offended me. (Bavaria was treated somewhat better than the North, even though it was part of the Reich as well. I have to admit, at this point, that regional rivalries in Germany led to me being bothered by this even more.)
I felt that how someone would slip from English into their original language was not always well portrayed. This doesn't usually happen by slipping in a single word but by using phrases, half sentences - and these would be grammatically correct in the context of the sentence.
jeansbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaje_harper's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Barbara Hambly writes great characters and historical settings that breathe realism without being intrusive to the story. This is the latest in her vampire series, begun in Those Who Hunt the Night. To my mind, she is the best writer of the most difficult type of vampires, neither the easy, sexy, can-live-on-blood-without-killing variety, nor the evil must-be-eliminated monsters who exist only to be hunted by our heroes. Her vampires kill, regularly, remorselessly, for survival. They are monsters and yet...and yet. As her vampire Don Ysidro says, "I have not seen more than four or five...who did not become in truth demons who live only for the kill. I have seen scholars turn from their books and artists from their easels; I have seen mothers who sought this state the better to aid their children turn from those children in boredom, once they had passed the gate..." But in the world of Europe before the Great War, men are capable of as much evil as vampires, and Don Ysidro is one who has not lost all connection to humans. Her human characters weigh the greater and lesser evils, and the costs of friendship, especially when friendship with a vampire may be the product of his mind games and completely one-sided. This is a great book, although it is even better if you have read the earlier books in the series, since the relationships that are at the heart of the story are complicated and owe much to the previous adventures. I haven't read a book by Hambly that I didn't love and reread, and this is a welcome addition to the series.
lottpoet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caroline_carnivorous's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one! It's jam-packed with action, and I've come to love the characters now.
kitsana_d's review against another edition
Not a critique on the story - i'm just not in a vampire mood. Might try again another time
wealhtheow's review against another edition
4.0
Centuries ago, the ancient vampire Don Simon Ysidro fell in love with a mortal woman. Entranced by the idea of eternal life, Lady Irene managed to get turned into a vampire as well. It was only then that she discovered the truth of Ysidro's warnings--that upon becoming Undead, all interests and morals are overwhelmed by the seduction of killing human prey. She and Ysidro have had little contact since...until she hears a rumor that the war-mongering Kaiser has recruited a vampire. Ysidro enlists the help of James Asher, formerly of the Queen's Secret Service, to accompany him on his search for answers.
This is a beautiful book. Hambly's stories of the Ashers and Ysidro (which began in the equally superlative [b:Those Who Hunt the Night|176261|Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher, #1)|Barbara Hambly|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1223642807s/176261.jpg|1229981]) are always the very best that vampire fiction can be. Her grasp of history is sure and faultless. Her characterizations deep and multi-faceted. And her vampires are the creepiest, scariest, most seductive creatures of the night I've ever read.
This is a beautiful book. Hambly's stories of the Ashers and Ysidro (which began in the equally superlative [b:Those Who Hunt the Night|176261|Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher, #1)|Barbara Hambly|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1223642807s/176261.jpg|1229981]) are always the very best that vampire fiction can be. Her grasp of history is sure and faultless. Her characterizations deep and multi-faceted. And her vampires are the creepiest, scariest, most seductive creatures of the night I've ever read.
lsneal's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars Love Hambly's writing, as usual. This volume of the James Asher series heads to Russia, circa 1911, and the quest to stop Kaiser Wilhelm from acquiring day-walking vampires as pre-WWI tensions continue to rise. It does raise some interesting issues about what the vampire communities are like in different latitudes, as well as different cultures...like, what do vampires DO in the Land of the Midnight Sun?